Transcript Decline Fall of the Empire

Decline and Fall of the Western
Roman Empire
1. Citizens lost
confidence
2. Army deteriorated
3. Invasion
4. Population declined
5. Roman cities declined
6. Political corruption
7. Economy weakened
• famine
• unemployment
• inflation
• inferior technology
8. Public Health
9. Decay of Leadership
and values
The Dynastic Cycle
New Dynasty
Defeat of old ruling family
Brings peace and prosperity
Population increases
Mandate of Heaven creates loyalty
(Re)builds public works
Gives land to the peasants
Protects the people
Generations go by, New Dynasty
becomes the Old Dynasty
Old Dynasty
Less able rulers come to power
Officials and bureaucrats become corrupt
Taxes people too much
Not enough taxes to defend kingdom and repair/build
public works
Public works neglected and decay
Stop protecting people
Treat people unfairly
Old Dynasty loses the Mandate of
Heaven
Old Dynasty Problems:
Natural events: floods, famine, earthquakes, etc.
Bandits raid the countryside
Invaders attack the empire
Tax collections grow smaller
Nobles begin to seize power
Peasants revolt as dynasty loses the Mandate of
Heaven
New Dynasty claims the Mandate
of Heaven
Citizens lost confidence in Imperial
Government
1.
Upper class left cities for the security of their own
latifundia-- large landed self-sufficient rural estates
2. Roman nobility made little effort to help solve the
problems of the Empire—couldn’t solve problem so
they ignored it and protected what they had
3. Government spending on military to stop threat of
invasion took spending away from largest group of
citizens
Citizens lost confidence in Imperial
Government
4. Source of government monies—heavy taxes and seizure
of food and property
5. Government forced citizens to repair public works
– Combination of 4 and 5 ruined the townspeople and
farmers
6. Citizens became indifferent to the needs and fate of the
Empire
Deterioration of the Legions
1. Land owning citizens found ways not to serve
in the legions
–
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Typical soldier was from the lower classes or less
civilized parts of the Empire
These soldiers did not understand the original goals
of the legions in maintaining peace and order
2. Avoidance of military service forced
government to recruit men from Germanic
tribes
–
In time, much of the army was not Roman, but
Germanic
Deterioration of the Legions
3.
Loyalty of legions continued to be with their
commanders and not the Empire
– Possibility of border area legions to declare their
commander emperor
4. Constant threat of invasion along the empire’s borders
Roman Legion Border Positions
Border Invasions
1.
Barbarian Invasions
– 410 AD Visigoths attack and loot the city of Rome
– 451 AD Huns attack northern Italy
– 455 AD Vandals attack and loot the city of Rome
2. Border legions recalled to the Italian Peninsula to
defend Rome
– Borders left undefended
– Large sections of the Empire given up to invaders
Border Invasions
Invader
Imperial Homeland
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Spain, S. France
Italian Peninsula
North Africa
Northern France
Britain
Britain
Britain
Hungary
Northern Italy
Northern Spain
SE France
Visigoths
Ostrogoths
Vandals
Franks
Angles
Saxons
Jutes
Huns
Lombards
Suevi
Burgundians
Population Declined
1.
Pax Romana to the late 4th century-- population
declined from 70 million to 50 million
– Warfare, famine, declining birthrate, and plagues
2. Results of population decline
– Smaller number of taxpayers
– Fewer people to farm the land
– Finding soldiers for the army
Advantages of Roman City Life
Declined
1.
2.
Fighting in the provinces drained money from the cities
Wealthy left the cities because the cities no longer took
care of their needs
– Unemployed and landless fled to the cities
Advantages of Roman City Life
Declined
3.
New social and political order developed on the
latifundia which favored the wealthy—beginnings of
feudalism
– Farm workers tied to the land and no longer
independent
– Landowning nobility became political power unto
themselves
4. City crime increased sharply
Political Corruption
1.
End of the law of succession produced conflict
between the old emperor, the Senate, the Praetorian
Guard, and the army over who the new emperor would
be
– Praetorian Guard gained complete authority to
choose the new emperor
– Sale of the emperorship by the Praetorian Guard
create a cycle of corruption
2. Provincial government positions were sold to the
highest bidders
3. Provincial officials, particularly, the governors became
wealthy by stealing from the Empire
Weak Economy
1.
Famine reduced the amount of food produced
– result: food shortages and
– result: higher prices for food that was available
2. Unemployment
– Large number of available, inexpensive slaves
increased the number of unemployed people in
cities
Weak Economy
3.
Inflation
– Reduction of amount of gold and silver in coins
(devaluation) caused an increase in prices as
merchants tried to make up the loss in value by
raising prices
– people moved to bartering, salaries paid in food and
clothing, and taxes were collected in food or
property
4. Inferior technology
– Inexpensive slaves eliminated the motive for higher
productivity and efficiency—why work yourself to
death?
– No longer conquering other civilizations and
adapting their technology
Public Health
1.
2.
3.
4.
Roman cities were centers of disease
Unsanitary conditions
Policy of feeding and entertaining the poor and
unemployed
Lead pipes into the homes of the wealthy
Decay of Leadership and Values
1.
Traditional Roman values of the early Republic were
lost
– Land owning military service to the Republic
– Republic before self and family
– Horatio at the Bridge and Cinncinatus
2. Lack of leadership models by the emperor and the
wealthy
– Outstanding emperors became the exception
– Extended periods of time when all emperors were
not worthy of the public’s trust
Decay of Leadership and Values
3.
Christianity
– Values and goals of Christianity often conflicted with
those of the Empire